• 76 exercises

2 Point Perspective Drawing Ideas, Plus One-Point and Three-Point

Press the button for three scenes, each with its vanishing points and its horizon, then rule the first line.

2 Point Perspective Drawing Ideas, Plus One-Point and Three-Point

Show all 46
  1. Shipping containers stacked three high2 VPs. Horizon at the top of the first container. The ribs are plain verticals that bunch closer as the side recedes.
  2. Wardrobe with one door standing open2 VPs. Horizon at eye level. The open door has turned on its hinge, so it gets a VP of its own on the same horizon.
  3. Robot built from boxes2 VPs. Horizon at the robot's chest. Head, body, arms and feet are all boxes to the same two points. Overlap them.

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All 76 exercises

One-point 18

  • Avenue of trees 1 VP. Horizon low, a quarter of the way up, so the trunks tower. Only height and spacing change from tree to tree.
  • Bedroom seen from the doorway 1 VP on the back wall. Horizon at standing eye level. Draw the back wall first, then a line out from each corner.
  • Boxes above, on and below the horizon 1 VP. Horizon across the middle. Boxes above it show undersides, boxes below show tops, boxes on it show neither.
  • Canal with buildings on both banks 1 VP where the canal ends. Horizon at towpath eye level. Reflections drop straight down and use the same VP.
  • City street with a zebra crossing in front of you 1 VP. Horizon at eye level. The stripes run away from you, so they taper toward the VP like railway lines.
  • Gallery room with frames on both side walls 1 VP. Run the horizon through the centres of the frames. On the side walls every frame becomes a trapezoid.
  • Kitchen with a counter along each side wall 1 VP on the back wall. Horizon above the worktops. Cupboard doors are rectangles squeezed toward the VP.
  • Library aisle between two bookcases 1 VP at the aisle's end. Horizon at eye level: shelves above it slope down to the VP, shelves below slope up.
  • Pier running out to sea 1 VP on the sea line, which is your horizon. Place it a third up. Planks narrow toward it; posts shrink in step.
  • Railway tracks running to the horizon 1 VP where the rails meet. Horizon a third of the way up the page. Sleepers bunch closer as they recede.
  • Row of lamp posts along a straight road 1 VP. Horizon at mid-page. A diagonal from the top of one post through the middle of the next finds the third.
  • School corridor lined with lockers 1 VP on the far door. Horizon at eye level across that door. Locker widths shrink; space them with diagonals.
  • Supermarket aisle between full shelves 1 VP at the far end. Horizon at eye level. Shelf edges are the converging lines; the products are boxes set on them.
  • Terraced street, looking straight down the middle 1 VP at the end of the street. Horizon at head height: roof lines slope down to it, kerbs slope up to it.
  • Tiled floor like a chessboard 1 VP. Horizon high on the page. Equal marks along the front edge run to the VP; one diagonal sets every row.
  • Train carriage with seats on both sides 1 VP on the end door. Horizon at seated eye level. Seat backs repeat and shrink; window tops share the same lines.
  • Underground platform with a train arriving 1 VP down the tunnel. Horizon at standing eye level. Platform edge, train roof and wall tiles all run to it.
  • Your name in block letters pulled back to one point 1 VP above the word, horizon high, so the letter tops show. Draw flat letters, then pull every corner back.

Two-point 46

  • Armchair seen corner-on 2 VPs. Horizon above the arms. Start with one box for the whole chair, then carve the seat out of its front.
  • Barn beside a round silo 2 VPs. Horizon a third up the barn wall. Box the silo to the same two points, then fit an ellipse top and bottom.
  • Bathroom corner with two tiled walls 2 VPs. Horizon at eye level. Tile courses on each wall run to that wall's VP; the uprights stay parallel.
  • Block of flats with balconies on two sides 2 VPs. Horizon at the second floor. Balconies are shallow boxes stuck on; those above the horizon show undersides.
  • Bookshelf unit seen corner-on 2 VPs. Horizon through the middle shelf: shelves above it show their undersides, shelves below show their tops.
  • Bridge crossing a river at an angle 2 VPs. Horizon a third up. The deck runs to one point and the banks to the other. Space the piers with diagonals.
  • Bunk bed with a ladder 2 VPs. Horizon between the bunks: you see the top of the lower mattress and the underside of the upper bunk.
  • Bus shelter with a bench 2 VPs. Horizon at standing eye level, through the glass. Draw it as a solid box, then thin it down to posts.
  • Cereal box and a mug on a table 2 VPs. Horizon above both. The box is the two-point study. The mug is a cylinder, so its ellipses stay level.
  • Chessboard turned 45 degrees 2 VPs equally far from the centre. Horizon high. Squares become diamonds, and one set of their diagonals stays level.
  • Church with a square tower and a spire 2 VPs. Horizon at door height. Cross the diagonals of the tower top and go straight up from there to the spire tip.
  • City block of towers at different heights 2 VPs. Horizon low, at street level, so every roof line slopes down to a VP. Overlap the towers for depth.
  • Corner café with an awning and pavement tables 2 VPs. Horizon at seated eye level, level with the diners' heads. Round table tops become ellipses, flatter near it.
  • Corner of your room with the bed against one wall 2 VPs. Horizon at seated eye level. The room's corner is the first vertical; both walls run away from it.
  • Desk with an open laptop 2 VPs. Horizon above the desk. The screen leans back, so its side edges aim at a point above the VP, not at it.
  • Detached house with a porch, seen corner-on 2 VPs. Horizon at door-handle height. Start with the near corner. The porch is a smaller box pushed out of one wall.
  • Dining table and four chairs 2 VPs. Horizon above the table top. Build each chair as a plain box first, then cut the seat and legs out of it.
  • Dog kennel seen corner-on 2 VPs. Horizon above the kennel, so you look down on the roof. Crossed diagonals find the gable peak. Doorway last.
  • Filling station canopy with two pumps 2 VPs. Horizon below the canopy, so you see its underside. The pumps are small boxes set on one line to a VP.
  • Fish tank on a cabinet 2 VPs. Horizon level with the water line, so the surface is one straight line. The cabinet below shows its top.
  • Flight of steps seen corner-on 2 VPs. Horizon at eye level. Mark equal risers on the near upright. The slope aims at a point directly above one VP.
  • Garden shed with a pitched roof 2 VPs. Horizon a third up the wall. Cross the end wall's diagonals and go straight up to find the roof ridge.
  • Kitchen island seen corner-on 2 VPs. Horizon above the worktop so its surface shows. The overhang is a thin second box on top of the first.
  • Level crossing seen at an angle 2 VPs. Rails run to one point and the road to the other. Horizon a third up. The gates are plain verticals.
  • Loft bedroom under a sloping ceiling 2 VPs. Horizon at seated eye level. The ceiling rises as it recedes, so its edges aim at a point directly above one VP.
  • Lorry parked at a loading bay 2 VPs. Horizon at the cab window. Cab and trailer are two boxes on one pair of VPs. Wheels are ellipses in squares.
  • Market stall under a flat canopy 2 VPs. Horizon at standing eye level. The table is one box, the canopy a thin box above it on four posts.
  • One box drawn three times: above, on and below eye level 2 VPs on one horizon across the middle. Same box, three heights. Watch the top and underside appear and vanish.
  • Open cardboard box with four flaps 2 VPs. Horizon above the box so you see inside. Each tilted flap aims at its own point above or below a VP.
  • Park bench seen corner-on 2 VPs. Horizon above the seat. Box the whole bench, then cut away the front to leave a seat, a back and two ends.
  • Parked cars along a kerb, seen from the corner 2 VPs. Horizon just above the car roofs. Each car is a long box with a shorter box on top; round the corners last.
  • Picnic table with a bench on each side 2 VPs. Horizon well above the table. Rule the top as a thin slab first, then send the benches to the same two points.
  • Playground slide seen corner-on 2 VPs. Horizon at platform height. The chute is a sloped plane, so its edges meet directly above or below one VP.
  • Robot built from boxes 2 VPs. Horizon at the robot's chest. Head, body, arms and feet are all boxes to the same two points. Overlap them.
  • Row of beach huts receding to the left 2 VPs. Horizon on the sea line. Hut fronts go to the right VP and the row to the left; space them with diagonals.
  • Row of toy blocks spelling a word 2 VPs. Horizon above the blocks. Rule the first cube, then repeat its width along the row with a diagonal.
  • Shipping containers stacked three high 2 VPs. Horizon at the top of the first container. The ribs are plain verticals that bunch closer as the side recedes.
  • Sofa and coffee table on a rug 2 VPs. Horizon above the sofa back. Rule the rug first as a flat shape on the floor, then stand the boxes on it.
  • Stack of three books, each turned a little Each book gets its own pair of VPs, all on one horizon above the stack. Turned objects share the line, not the points.
  • Street corner with a shop on the ground floor 2 VPs on the horizon, both off the paper. Horizon through the shop window. Start with the corner's vertical edge.
  • Telephone box on a pavement 2 VPs. Horizon two thirds up the box. Split each glazed side into panes with diagonals, not with equal ruler marks.
  • Three raised vegetable beds in a row 2 VPs. Horizon high, so the soil shows. Each bed is a low box. Space the row evenly with diagonals.
  • Upright piano seen corner-on 2 VPs. Horizon just above the keys, so they show as a thin strip. The keyboard is a shelf pushed out of the main box.
  • Wardrobe with one door standing open 2 VPs. Horizon at eye level. The open door has turned on its hinge, so it gets a VP of its own on the same horizon.
  • Washing machine with a round door 2 VPs. Horizon above the machine. Cross the diagonals of the front to centre the door, then fit an ellipse in a square.
  • Your initials as block letters seen corner-on 2 VPs set wide apart. Horizon below the letters so you look up at them. Every upright stays truly vertical.

Three-point 12

  • City seen from above, looking down between towers 3 VPs: two on a horizon near the top edge, the third far below the page. Every vertical leans in toward it.
  • Clock tower from its base 3 VPs. Horizon at your feet, along the bottom edge. The clock face is a circle in a leaning square: an ellipse.
  • Crossroads from a tenth-floor balcony 3 VPs. Horizon at the top of the page. The two roads run to the two horizon points; lamp posts aim at the low one.
  • Lighthouse seen from the rocks below 3 VPs. Horizon on the sea line, low. Box the tower in first so it tapers to the top point, then round it off.
  • Rooftop water tanks and chimneys from a higher window 3 VPs. Horizon above the rooftops, third point below. Tanks are cylinders: box them first, then fit ellipses.
  • Single box in bird's-eye view 3 VPs. Horizon above the box, third point far below. Keep that point well off the page or the box looks warped.
  • Single box in worm's-eye view 3 VPs. Horizon under the box, third point overhead. You see the underside and two walls narrowing as they rise.
  • Skyscraper from the pavement, looking up 3 VPs: two on a horizon at the bottom edge, one high above the page. A worm's-eye view, so the tower tapers upward.
  • Stack of gift boxes seen from above 3 VPs. Horizon above the stack, third point below. Ribbons cross each lid through the centre found by diagonals.
  • Stairwell seen over the banister, looking down 3 VPs. Horizon off the top of the page. Each floor's rail is a smaller ring, and the uprights aim at the low point.
  • Tall bookcase seen from the floor 3 VPs. Horizon near the bottom edge, third point overhead. Every shelf shows its underside and the sides lean in.
  • Your name stacked as a tower of letters, seen from below 3 VPs. Horizon under the first letter. Stack one letter per storey; each is narrower than the one beneath it.

How it works

Stand at the corner of a building and its two walls run away to two separate points. That is the view in 46 of these 76 exercises, the 2 point perspective drawing ideas; 18 more use one point and 12 use three. Every hint gives the vanishing points, the horizon height and the first thing to rule.

Read the full guide

The horizon line is your eye level

A vanishing point is where parallel edges running away from you appear to meet, and the horizon line is your eye level. Edges below it angle up to it; edges above slope down. That is why Bookshelf unit seen corner-on shows shelf tops below the line and undersides above it. In two-point work, set both points wide, often off the paper, or the near corner looks pinched.

One, two or three points

Face a wall square-on and only the depth edges converge. That is one-point, and the 1 point perspective drawing ideas here are corridors, tracks and aisles. Turn to a corner and you need two. Look steeply up or down and the verticals converge too, toward a third point above or below the page, as in Skyscraper from the pavement, looking up. Rooms holds 24 interiors and Cities 21 streets.

  • Tape a spare sheet to each side of your page so both vanishing points can sit outside the drawing.
  • Rule construction lines with an H or 2H pencil, barely pressing, then go over the edges you keep with a 2B.
  • To find the true middle of a receding wall, cross its diagonals. A door or a roof ridge goes above that crossing.

Questions and answers

Which easy perspective drawing ideas suit a beginner?

Choose One-point: 18 exercises with a single vanishing point, so only the depth edges need a ruler. Railway tracks running to the horizon is two rails and a row of sleepers. Boxes above, on and below the horizon shows what eye level does before you add a second point.

Where do the vanishing points go in two-point perspective?

Both sit on the horizon line, one to the left of the object and one to the right. Draw the nearest vertical corner first, then run its top and bottom to each point. In Street corner with a shop on the ground floor both points are off the paper, which stops the building looking stretched.

Do I need special tools?

No. A sharp pencil, an eraser and a 30 cm ruler cover all 76 exercises. A set square, or the corner of a second sheet, keeps uprights vertical. When a vanishing point sits off the paper, pin a thread there and pull it taut across the page: it reaches where a ruler cannot.

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